PopCap brings Peggle, Mystery P.I. and Amazing Adventures to DS

PopCap has just announced that it will be bringing its mega-hit game Peggle to the Nintendo DS in late 2008, along with the hidden object games Amazing Adventures The Forgotten Ruins and Mystery P.I. – Portrait of a Thief.

During his keynote presentation at the Casual Connect conference in Seattle, PopCap CEO David Roberts provided an early glimpse of the DS version of Peggle, which is expected to hit retail shelves in late 2008 for $29.95.

To bring Peggle to Nintendo’s handheld gaming device, PopCap has partnered with acclaimed Japanese developer Q Entertainment, makers of the handheld puzzle games Lumines and Meteos, and the music game Rez HD for the Xbox Live Arcade.

The DS version of Peggle is expected to feature more levels than existing versions of the game for PC, Mac and iPod, as well as levels that are exclusive to the DS, and "surprise additions" that Q Entertainment has not revealed yet.

"PopCap’s games are simple but addictive, and Peggle demonstrates that even a simple game can be extremely deep," said Shuji Utsumi, Q’s co-founder and chief executive officer. "We’ve always incorporated casual game elements into our console and handheld games, and now we have an opportunity to bring our gaming sensibilities and expertise to the DS version of Peggle, and make a very novel ‘cross-over’ game for all ages.”

“Q is a great choice to partner with us – they share many of PopCap’s design and creative philosophies and are equally big believers in quality and attention to detail," said PopCap’s VP of Video Game Platforms, Greg Canessa. "These factors, combined with Q’s impressive track record of success on DS and PSP, make this a natural fit."

The two hidden object games PopCap is bringing to the DS, Amazing Adventures The Forgotten Ruins and Mystery P.I. – Portrait of a Thief, are both inspired by the original PC games, but feature entirely new storylines, locations, gameplay modes and challenges. Each will retail for $19.95.

Amazing Adventures The Forgotten Ruins transports players to an archeological dig where they discover clues and follow a character-filled storyline that will lead them to a long-lost Mayan ruin. The game features 18 missions and 9 DS-only locations through which players are challenged to “find” over 90 hidden objects per scene.

Players can also unlock additional gameplay modes by locating bonus items such as Jade Masks and Mayan Glyphs. The game includes four mini-games featuring unique stylus-based controls and high score leaderboards, an interactive journal and bonus content.
Mystery P.I. – Portrait of a Thief, challenges players to become a private investigator and track an art thief to recover missing paintings recently stolen from a private collection. The game features 18 missions with multiple locations in each, including 9 DS-only locations. Players can also collect awards, encounter new characters and keep track of their game in the case log while unlocking secret gameplay modes and mini-game free play. Mystery P.I. – Portrait of a Thief also provides a dual screen interface and touch-screen functionality.

“Not only are we bringing the highly anticipated Peggle to the DS in a very customized way that will make the DS version unique, but we are complimenting our line-up with two additional titles from the increasingly popular ‘hidden object’ puzzle genre that continues to fuel mass-market interest and enthusiasm,” said Canessa.

“With Amazing Adventures The Forgotten Ruins and Mystery P.I. – Portrait of a Thief, we’re cementing our commitment to the Nintendo DS with brand new adventures that have tremendously wide appeal to a rapidly expanding audience of casual players.”

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